This weekend Michael Bradley, who is a fellow kayak blogger stopped by for a visit to say hello and see the skin-on-frame kayak that Dave is building ... which I've been blogging about. He stopped by the house as I was clearing the dust from all the construction in my kitchen. I wanted to offer this kayak traveler a place to stay but I could barely offer him a place to sit. So after a brief tour of the house and the construction zone we went to the Savory Cafe for lunch. Michael wanted me to pick a place that best described who I am and I could think of nothing better than The Savory. The Savory is where I host my weekly bridge game. It's a cozy cafe with comfortable old sofas and an occasional band. A place where the locals come to eat or chat or just hang out.

Over lunch we shared stories about how we got into kayaking and why we started blogging. For me it was a way to post my trip reports for kayak outings and the occasional kayak race. When I started the blog I never knew there were so many other kayak bloggers out there. Derrick, at KayakQuixotica.com, probably has the most extensive list of kayak blogs in the blogosphere. From that list I found out about Michael and some other of my favorite blogs ... like Peter's Paddling Blog and Douglas in Scotland. The complete list is in the sidebar. I mention the last three because they each show three different styles. I love reading Peter's blog because he's a racer and he's so hopelessly ... male. Occasionally he posts a blog or photo that normally would make me cringe ... like the blog about the topless female rowers ... but I love it because it's part of who he is. And you have to love a guy that loves women and supports women in the sport of kayaking. I love reading Douglas' blog because he such an accomplished photographer and it inspires me to look for more novel shots when I'm photographing a trip.

I added Michael to my list of favorite blogs because, like so many others in the list, he lives far away. I paddle mostly in the Chesapeake Bay area with occasional trips down to the NC coast. I love seeing photos of kayaking in other locales. And it's a way to connect with other kayakers throughout the world.

But the blog is not just about kayaking. It's also about me. And I see the blog as a way for me to keep in touch with friends and family that I don't see that often. My sister-in-law, Mari, who is more like a sister than a relation by marriage, checks in frequently and occasionally sends me an email if she thinks my blog has revealed too much. Which brings up the issue that Michael and I discussed at lunch ... what do you blog about. A blog is really a personal web log or online journal. Do you blog about your deepest thoughts? Or should it be just about kayaking? To blog just about kayaking makes your blog a sort of online kayak magazine. Most of us read kayak blogs to read about .... kayaking. But the occasional glimpse into the lives of the author is enlightening and sometimes humorous, which is why I started including some of the videos of me and my friend Shannon rolling in the pool or photos from my kitchen renovation.

I'm not sure how long I'll keep the blog going. Michael had the same question for himself. I guess I'll keep blogging as long as it's fun. But when I start kayaking to blog instead of blogging about kayaking ... or when blogging becomes more like a job than a passion, that's when I'll stop.



After lunch we drove to Annapolis to see the kayak Dave is building for me. As I posted earlier it's kind of an experimental kayak. A skin-on-frame kayak that's designed to be fast. We're not sure how fast it will be or how easy it will be to roll since the deck had to be raised so high. But it's been an interesting exercise in kayak design. Michael, who has built a few SOF kayaks himself and has an interest in the greenland kayak design, was particularly interested in details of the kayak construction. Dave has been out of town on business so the frame hasn't changed much since my last post. He took out the electrical wire temporary ribs and has been soaking the real ribs in a bucket of water all week. To see photos from Michael's visit, click here.